All the Single Ladies
by luberly
Summary: Ranger's been in-the-wind but now he's back. Unfortunately, Stephanie is out of town and won't be back for a bit. How does Ranger pass the time? I hope this will be the first part of a series that I will call The RangeWoman Series.
1. Chapter 1

These characters don't belong to me but I will just borrow them for a time. Typical FF disclaimer applies.

This is a new story that I hope be the first of **_The RangeWoman Series_**. This is an idea I have been mulling over for a while and I'm hoping to have time to get it written and posted. Each chapter will probably be from a different person's point of view, but that may change depending on the story.

Let me know if I should continue this one..

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_Ranger's POV_

I'm currently sitting in a plane on my way back to Newark after successfully completing my final mission for the government. All I can think about is how I can convince my Babe to leave Morelli and come to me. I pick up a napkin and a pen and start to doodle.

Ever since I was a boy I have been able to draw well, I've never really turned that skill to anything artistic, but it has come in handy from time to time with my missions and mapping room and building layouts. This time however, I wanted to draw my Babe. I spent the remainder of the flight adding fine strokes, trying to replicate the beauty of the woman I loved on that tiny napkin.

By the time that we landed, I had captured her eyes and her smile. I simply didn't have the space to draw her wild and crazy hair so I concentrated on certain parts of her face. When the plane landed, I tucked the napkin into my pocket and disembarked with the rest of the passengers.

Tank stood in the arrivals hall waiting for me. We grasped hands and he welcomed me home. "Thanks man, I feel quite relieved now that things are all over with the government. They tried their best to get me to take a new contract, but I declined. I'm getting too old for this shit."

Tank laughed and said, "I think you'll figure out how to spend your new-found free time RangeMan. You are free from obligations now. Perhaps that will allow you to loosen some of your rules and strive to be happy."

I nodded at this comment, hoping that a certain blue-eyed brunette would be able to forgive some of the stupid things I've said to her in the past. And believe me, some of them were doozies. Tank filled me in on the RangeMan things I missed over the past 4 months, but I was having a hard time concentrating. I just wanted to see my Babe.

Tank must have been able to sense my mood because he said, "Bomber is out of town and won't be back for another 2 weeks. Somehow, her grandmother convinced Steph to go on a singles cruise with her."

This surprised me for two reasons. First, why would Babe want to spend that much time with her grandmother? Secondly, why would she go on a singles cruise when she was with Morelli?

Tank did his ESP thing on me and said, "Bombshell had a bit of an incident with a skip about a month ago and Joe gave her an ultimatum when he arrived on scene. He told her that she had to quit her jobs, give up some of her friends and agree to marry him or it was over between them.

"I didn't witness this 'fight,' but it is now 'Burg legend. Apparently Bomber took about 10 seconds to think about it and simply walked away from Morelli. He followed her assuming she was going to his truck so they could start their lives together. Instead, she was walking towards the RangeMan SUV that was parked directly behind Morelli's truck.

"She climbed into the RangeMan SUV beside Leister, gave Morelli the finger and left. She refused to talk to him after that and left town a couple of weeks later with her grandmother. They decided to go on that cruise and it lasts for a month."

I got my hopes up because Babe had broke things off with Morelli, but I was still worried. She might change her mind while she's away and go back to Morelli when she returns or she might meet somebody on this cruise. I will just have to wait and keep my fingers crossed.

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Let me know if you want more...

L.


	2. Chapter 2

Since the chapters are quite short, I might post more than one a day. Either that or combine more than one POV per chapter. We'll see ..

Enjoy...

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_Tank's POV_

Ranger has been distracted ever since I told him that Stephanie was out of town. This morning, during the staff meeting, Ranger doodled on his notepad as he asked questions and listened to the men. He seemed to be paying attention, but he rarely looked up from his paper.

After the meeting was finished and the men started to file out, Ranger stood and walked out of the room leaving the notepad behind. I was curious so I took a look and was surprised to find a very detailed drawing of Bombshell. I ripped the top page from the notepad and tucked the drawing into my pocket before going about my day's work.

Ranger repeated this behaviour at every staff meeting we had during the week. By Friday, I had several drawings of Stephanie. I never knew Ranger had such an artistic eye. I mean I always knew he could draw a map or directions without batting an eye, but this was art. He was really talented and it was clear that Bomber was on his mind.

On Friday evening, the day before Bombshell was due to return, I ran into Ella restocking the fridge in the break room. I asked her if she knew that Ranger could draw and she told me about the napkin she found in his cargos. When I told her about the drawings I had, she followed me to my office to take a look.

"These are really wonderful Tank. I had no idea Ranger was so artistic. It's clear based on the drawings and the random phrases he's written on these pages that he wants to be with Stephanie. He says on this one that he regrets saying that he doesn't do relationships. On this one here that is just her smile he writes that he'd gladly give a ring to see that smile."

"I saw that too, and I'm wondering if we should leave these somewhere that Bombshell will see them. It might encourage them to wake up and realise that they're meant to be together."

Ella agreed that we needed to find a way for Stephanie to see these drawings, so we decided to leave them in her desk drawer with a note from Ella telling her she found these lying around. We figured Steph would look in her drawer as soon as she returned hoping to find some contraband. If not right away, she'd find them eventually.

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More to come...


	3. Chapter 3

Another short chapter.

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_Ranger's POV_

My Babe is back! She just called the control room and they told her I was here. She called to tell me that she'll be by to pick up some things that she left on her desk. She didn't expect for me to be back but when she found out, she wanted to see me. I can't wait to see her. I'm like a kid at Christmas waiting to open the presents.

I felt it when she walked out of the elevator. The noise on the floor increased for a few minutes and then lowered as she made her way towards my office. She knocked softly and poked her head in.

"Hey Batman, are you busy?"

"I can take a break for you Babe. Come on in."

My Babe hesitated for a moment and then walked in holding a baby against her chest. The baby was sound asleep. I raised my eyebrow at her and she said, "My mom is babysitting Val's kids for the weekend. The two babies were causing problems so I became the designated babysitter for the youngest one. She's only 3 months old so it's less likely that she'll crawl away on me.

"At least that's why I figure I was given the youngest. Either that or my mother really feels this baby hates her. She always cries whenever mom picks her up. When I stopped by to drop off my grandmother on my way home from our cruise, my mother handed me the baby and she stopped crying immediately. My mom was a little frazzled so I agreed to take the baby for a few hours so she could rest."

"That was nice of you Babe. Why don't you sit down and tell me all about your cruise?"

I walked over and sat on the chair across from the sofa so that she could stretch out on the sofa. She leaned back and rested the baby against her chest. She started talking and told me about all of the embarrassing things Edna did. She laughed when she shared a story about a dance competition where Edna danced to Beyonce's 'All the Single Ladies' song. It was quite the hit with the elderly male singles and Edna got lots of dates out of it even though she didn't win the competition.

Babe also told me about all the various little games they were forced to play and how exhausting it was. She looked tired so I said, "Why don't you take a nap here. I have a little bit of work left so I can do that and then wake you up with plenty of time for you to make it back to your parents for dinner."

She agreed and I laid a blanked over her wand then watched her as she fell asleep with her niece nestled cosily on her chest. It was very precious. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I dug out a notepad from my desk and drew the scene. The whole time, I was thinking that it would be nice if that was our baby in her arms.

Steph started to stir after I had finished my drawing, so I crumpled it up and put it in the waste paper basked by my desk. I didn't think my Babe would appreciate being drawn in her sleep, so I figured it was best to get rid of the evidence.

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More to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Another...

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_Ella's POV_

Stephanie dropped by earlier to say hi to the guys and talk to Ranger. I don't think she stopped by her desk because all of the drawings were still in her drawer. I know she spent a lot of time in Ranger's office though. I hope that they talked, but knowing them, they avoided talking about their feelings at all costs.

I was emptying the waste paper baskets around the office. This is usually Luis job but he is out of town visiting his brother so I am filling in for him. I reach Ranger's office and dump out his bin and see a crumpled up piece of yellow paper. I know that the previous drawings have been done on this type of paper so I let my inner snoop free and smoothed the paper out.

I gasped when I saw a very life like drawing of Stephanie sleeping with a baby on her chest. Below the drawing Ranger wrote, '_What if that was mine?_' This explained why Stephanie was in here so long. She had a nap with her niece and Ranger took the opportunity to daydream and draw.

I pocketed this new drawing and checked to see where Tank was. I wanted to show him this one before I hid it away with all of the other drawings. He wasn't in his office but I did see him waiting for the elevator when I was about to give up and head back to my apartment.

"Tank, come and look at this." I discretely showed Tank the drawing so that it wasn't clearly visible by the security camera. The look on Tank's face when he saw the drawing was one of shock and surprise.

"Ella, I was wondering if I could get your help in my apartment. I am cooking a meal for Lula tonight and I need your opinion on what sauce to make for the steaks."

I agreed and followed Tank into his apartment. As soon as we were free from the RangeMan security camera Tank said, "Wow Ella, I think we really need to show these to Stephanie. If she realises that Ranger is second guessing his decision about relationships then maybe she'll say something to him."

I agreed and hoped one of them would say something before it was too late.

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I can keep going it you'd like.


	5. Chapter 5

The next chapter-let (Since it's so short). Enjoy

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_Stephanie's POV_

Ranger called me this morning and asked me to come into the RangeMan office so he could talk to me. I assumed he wanted to ask me to join RangeMan full time again, and if I'm totally honest with myself, the idea doesn't completely suck. The only down side is the mandatory fitness and fire arms training.

My meeting with Ranger was scheduled for 11:00 so I decided to show up a little early so I could visit with the guys. I arrived at 10:30 and was able to visit with Lester, Tank, Bobby, Hall, Manny and Hector. I only had a chance to say hi and bye to Junior and Cal because they were on their way to catch an FTA.

At 11:00, I knocked on Ranger's door and walked in when he greeted me. I was right. Ranger asked me to work for RangeMan full time. There was a difference this time. He wanted Lula to join me so we could continue to catch the lower bond skips. We'd still have to do the fitness and gun stuff, but maybe it would be easier to share that with Lula.

After Ranger made the suggestion I said, "Do you mind if I think about it for a few days? I'll still continue my part-time work in the meantime, but I want to discuss this with Lula and think about it some."

Ranger agreed and said, "I look forward to hearing your decision. Are you still meeting Tank in the gym this afternoon for self-defense training?"

I nodded, so Ranger said, "If you don't already have plans afterward, perhaps you can join me up on 7 for dinner and I can explain a bit more about my vision of RangeMan with you included."

I looked at my watch and calculated that I'd be done with my self-defense training around 5. I could then head home to shower and change or I could just do that upstairs. "Would you mind if I used your shower after my training? Normally when my training is that late in the afternoon, I just go home, but if I'm going to stay for dinner, I might as well shower here."

"That's no problem Babe. I'll come up when I'm done and we can talk while we're waiting for Ella to bring dinner."

"OK then, I'll see you later Batman." I smiled and Ranger gave me a full 200-watt smile. I gave him a finger wave and left his office.

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Who's going to share their point of view next?


	6. Chapter 6

_Tank's_ POV

I was a bit surprised that I didn't have to drag Bombshell down to the gym with me today to work on her self-defense. She arrived pretty much on time without her usual grumpy attitude. I asked her why she was in such a good mood and she explained Ranger's job offer and that she was seriously considering it. She liked the idea of having another woman to work out with so she wouldn't feel so inferior.

I smiled at this and tried to explain that she shouldn't feel inferior to us. We all have had years of training and most of us are more than twice her size. If she kept up with her current training, she will find that things will get a lot easier as time goes on. She also mentioned that she would shower in Ranger's apartment and then have dinner up on 7 with him. She seemed like she was looking forward to some alone time with Ranger and this gave me an idea. I'd have to talk to Ella about my idea later.

I spent the next 2 hours going through our typical routine. I brought in Ram to help out with some of the attack holds so I could watch Steph's reactions. For the most part, she did really well. She kept getting frustrated when she couldn't get out of a hold easily, but I explained that it would take time to master most of the techniques we were teaching her.

When Steph finally left the gym, it was about 4:30. I rushed through my shower routine and headed upstairs to my office to call Ella. We decided that Ella would go up to Ranger's apartment while Stephanie was in the shower and place Ranger's drawings on the coffee table. If Steph had to wait for Ranger, she'd most likely watch TV or a film or something. She'd have to pick up the remote that was kept on the coffee table, so she'd notice the drawings if they were left there.

Ella and I were happy with our scheming and I went to talk to Ranger about his plans for Steph and Lula. It turns out that Ranger has been thinking about bringing Lula in and getting her the training she and Steph so desperately needed. They could work together and it would make the easy skips easier and allow them to move up to some of the more medium ones.

He also mentioned that Lula has been taking some business classes at the local college, but she was having trouble keeping up the payments. If she worked for RangeMan, the company would allow her the time off and pay for her studies. It wasn't a bad idea to have both Stephanie and Lula. Stephanie has a business degree and Lula is well on her way there.

I complemented Ranger on his foresight and wished him luck convincing the ladies to join RangeMan. I knew the fitness and gun stuff was going to be a problem, but maybe the girls would egg each other on and encourage one another. That was my hope because even though Lula and I are no longer together, I do still care about her. Maybe this is the chance Lula and I need to try again. I lost myself in thoughts of rekindling my relationship with Lula and walked back to my office with a bit of a grin on my face.


	7. Chapter 7

And one more...

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_Steph's POV_

I had a quick shower using Ranger's heavenly body wash and then rummaged through his closet for something to wear. I found a pair of black cargos and some underwear in Ranger's closet, but there were no shirts. I would either need to wear the one I wore this morning or steal one of Ranger's shirts. In the end, the lure of a Ranger scented t-shirt was too overpowering.

Once dressed, I threw my hair up in a lazy pony tail and did a minimal amount of makeup. When I was finished, I figured I had about 45 minutes before Ranger came up for dinner so I decided to try and find something to watch on TV.

I walked into the living room and made myself comfortable on the sofa. As I reached over to pick up the remote control that was on the coffee table, I noticed a small pile of crumpled up paper that was being weighed down by the remote control. My curiosity was peaked so I picked up the pile of papers and stared at the top page with my mouth open.

It was a drawing of me, or at least parts of me and there were various words and doodles all around the page. The picture was a piecemeal drawing of my face, but only my eyes, my forehead and my smile were present in detail. The bits in between were just roughly drawn in as if to be finished later.

I looked closely at the words on the page. They were mostly random, but one phrase jumped out at me.

**_No relationships stupid regret._**

I recognised the hand writing, so I knew Ranger wrote the words, but did he do the drawings as well? I looked at the 2nd page in the pile and this time, it was a full face drawing, but in profile. The words on this page were even more chaotic. Enemies, danger, magnet, regret and several other words were written on the page and some were scratched out.

The next drawing took my breath away. It was of me and my niece sleeping on Ranger's sofa. Remembering back, nobody else was in Ranger's office with us so he must have done the drawings. He was very talented and very detailed in all of his drawings. I looked around the drawing that pretty much took up the entire page and saw something that made me drop the papers and the remote because my hands were trembling so much.

**_Wish it was mine._**

I sat there staring at the papers that had fallen on the floor, completely oblivious to the tingling sensation on my neck. I subconsciously recognised it because my hand went to my neck, but I didn't realise that Ranger was standing behind me watching my reaction to his drawings.

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Let me know what you think. All the encouragement is really helpful. Thanks. L.


	8. Chapter 8

Another short one...

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_Ranger's POV_

I was rushing through all my paperwork trying to get upstairs to see my Babe. I know she went up earlier than usual because Tank came in to talk after their training session. She was upstairs waiting for me and I don't want to keep her waiting.

Finally, I finished my work at 5:30 and I rushed up the stairs to my apartment. I didn't want to scare Babe if she was sleeping so I quietly let myself in and walked into the apartment without making a sound.

I could see Babe curled up on my sofa looking at something on her lap. Just as I got within sight of her, she dropped the papers and gasped. At first I thought I had startled her, but then I noticed what she had been looking at. She was startled by the drawings, not by my presence, but how on earth did those drawings make it into her possession.

I wasn't ready for anyone to know that I could draw, but more than that, I wasn't sure if I was ready for my Babe to know how I truly felt about her. I watched as she picked up the drawings and rub her neck, not noticing me. I just stood there staring at her, watching her reaction to my drawings of her.

She flipped through the various drawings but kept coming back to the one with her niece. I remembered thinking that I wanted that with her someday but I clearly remember crumpling up that drawing and throwing it in my waste paper basket. How did it get up here?

I decided to go back to the door and make some noise so Babe would hear me come in. I opened the door and then closed it loudly. I then dropped my keys in the bowl so they rattled and then paused long enough to take my shoes off, although they were already off. When I walked into the room, Steph was looking at me funny. I needed a few minutes to get my mind around my thoughts so I spoke before Babe could say anything.

"I'm going to jump in the shower. Ella should be up any moment with dinner. I'll see you in a few Babe."

I took my time in the shower, going over everything I wanted to say to my Babe and eventually re-emerged dressed in a loose pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt.

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Thanks for reading.. a few more chapters are coming...


	9. Chapter 9

_Steph's_ POV

I'm kind of glad that Ranger went directly to the shower. I wasn't sure I was ready to talk about the drawings I found. I sat there looking at the pictures and didn't even notice Ella bring in the food tray.

"Hello Dear."

I jumped at Ella's greeting and smiled.

"I'm sorry to have startled you. You must have been concentrating on something. What do you have there?"

I looked down at the drawings and handed them to Ella. She looked at them briefly and asked, "Have you talked to Ranger about these yet?"

I shook my head and said, "I only found them a little while ago. I don't know what to say or what to ask. The words on the pictures look random at best, almost too open for interpretation. I will need Ranger to explain what he meant."

Ella looked down at one of the pictures and smiled. She looked up at me and said, "I think this one is quite clear."

She handed me a small napkin that I hadn't noticed before. It was a rough drawing of my eyes, crinkled up like I am smiling. Underneath were two words that caught my breath.

Love my Babe.

I looked up at Ella who said, "Talk to him dear. Ask him to explain what the words mean. If you don't ask, I'm not sure he'll volunteer the information. I know you are afraid to talk about your feelings, but so is Ranger. In fact, I think he's even more afraid that you are. Call me later if you need to talk. Enjoy your meal."

Ella waved and wheeled the food cart out of the apartment, leaving me alone with the delicious smells of her food and the drawings on the table. I flipped through the drawings one last time and then returned them to their original location under the remote just in time to watch Ranger walk out of the bedroom dressed in a sexy pair of faded blue jeans and a light grey t-shirt.

I watched Ranger walk towards me, a smile spreading across his face as he got closer. "See something you like Babe?"

I thought I'd tease him so I said, "Actually, the smell of Ella's food is over powering all of my other senses. I think my stomach will rebel if we don't eat soon. We can talk afterward."

Ranger nodded and followed me into the dining room and helped me set the food out. He left momentarily and returned with a bottle of white wine and two glasses. He raised his eyebrow to ask if I wanted wine, so I simply nodded. I could play the silent game as long as there was food available.

Ranger poured us both a glass of wine. He held up his glass by the stem and said, "A toast to the beginning of something new."

I assumed he was referring to the job offer so I lifted my glass and tapped it to his. As I did this, he looked me directly in the eye and said, "I missed you Babe."

We ate our meal in relative silence and for once, I was grateful. I needed that time to go over my plan to ask Ranger about his drawings.

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More to come...


	10. Chapter 10

A very short one, but now we're getting somewhere.

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_Ranger's POV_

When I made that toast about new beginnings, I knew by the look on my Babe's face that she didn't fully grasp the meaning. She probably thought that it had something to do with the new job I offered her, but that wasn't what I meant.

I wanted to tell her that my days of 'in-the-wind' were over. I wanted to tell her that her life is dangerous enough already, so adding the slim possibility of my enemies into the mix would probably make little difference. I wanted to tell her that not only did I want a relationship with her, but I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I wanted a family with her and I wanted to give her everything possible and make her happy.

I knew that she had seen my drawings and that she was confused by the words I had hastily written on the pages. I wanted her to ask the questions and this time, hopefully my answers would be more to her liking. While we ate, Babe kept looking over at the coffee table. I knew that was where the drawings were because I saw her place them under the remote, but I was patient enough to wait until dinner was finished before having that discussion.


	11. Chapter 11

This one's a bit longer. Enjoy.

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_Steph's POV_

My mind raced as I ate. I barely even tasted the food as I shovelled it into my mouth. I kept thinking about how I would ask Ranger about those drawings and how he'd make excuses to keep his distance this time. Ella told me that I had to be the first to break and if that was the only way to get Ranger to open up, I would do it. It doesn't mean I will enjoy it but I am kind of looking forward to getting a straight answer out of the man.

I took the last bite of my food and looked up to see that Ranger was already finished. He was staring at me with a funny look on his face. He said, "Do you want to talk now and have dessert a little later? Or do you want dessert now?"

I thought for a moment and said, "Dessert can wait. I might need it later, so I'll hold off for now just in case."

Ranger nodded, stood and held out his hand. I took it and stood, following him into the living room. He sat on the sofa and pulled me down beside him. He turned us so that we were facing each other and said, "I know you have a business degree. I was hoping that if you do come to work at RangeMan that you'd consider taking part in some of the business aspects of RangeMan.

"Also, I know that Lula has been taking some evening classes. RangeMan would be willing to pay for her to continue those classes with an expectation that she will also take part in working directly with the business aspects of RangeMan. You two can still go after skips, but that would only be a part of your jobs. Do you have any questions about what this would involve?"

I thought for a moment and said, "By business, do you mean paperwork and payroll and all of the things that you and Tank hate to do?"

Ranger shook his head and said, "No Babe, we'll hire somebody to do that kind of thing eventually, but I want you and Lula to be involved in customer relations, contract negotiation, and installation oversight. These things can be done by many of the guys, but a lot of our customers find the guys intimidating. I'm sure you and Lula will be able to put their minds at ease. You are both friendly and personable. We'll just have to convince Lula to tone down her wardrobe a little."

I laughed at Ranger's last comment. Lula's sense of style was famous and I had a hard time believing that she would be comfortable wearing the RangeMan uniform let alone a business suit. I smiled at the idea of Lula in a business suit and allowed my mind to wander.

A few moments later, Ranger was snapping his fingers in front of my face, trying to regain my attention. "Uh, sorry Batman, I just fell through the rabbit hole and my mind started to wander through the joys of shopping for a business suit for Lula. Did you say something?"

"I asked if you had any other questions."

I nodded and said, "I do, but they're not actually about the job. Is that OK?"

Ranger smiled and said, "You can ask me anything Babe. I'll tell you whatever you want, assuming I can."

I took a deep breath and said, "I found these today." I picked up the pile of drawings and handed them to him. I watched his face as he flipped through the pages. Instead of the usual blank face that I expected, I saw warmth and a hint of a smile. He looked up at me and said, "Where did you find these drawings Babe?"

I pointed at the table and said, "They were sitting right here. I didn't notice them before I had my shower, but I don't remember seeing them there when I first got here. I think somebody came in and placed them when I was in the shower."

"What was your question Babe?"

"I have a few, but the first one is about this picture here." I pulled out the picture that had words about relationships being stupid and regretful.

"What do you mean here? If I read it literally, it sounds like you mean that relationships are stupid and something to regret."

Ranger looked at me and sighed. I expected him to reiterate his earlier statements about relationships, condoms and rings. Instead, he took the pile of drawings from me and said, "I think it would be easier if I started from the beginning and explained these drawings in chronological order."

I nodded and watched as Ranger flipped through the pages and then reordered them. He held up the napkin drawing and said, "I drew this on the plane when I was coming home after my last mission. It was actually my final mission. My contract is now complete and I did not sign up again."

I interrupted him and asked, "It says that you love me. Is that true?"

Ranger nodded and said, "I've loved you for a long time Babe, but this will go a lot quicker if you just listen and let me talk.

"I can't give you details, but the result of my last mission actually removed all but one of my enemies. On the flight back, I was thinking about all the things I'd said to you in the past, and when I returned to find out that you were gone, I spent the week thinking about every excuse I gave you over the years.

"The words on this next drawing are my doodling rambles about how stupid my 'No relationships' policy was. I regret that statement a lot because from the outside, it looks like we've had a relationship for a long time. We care about each other and everyone knows it.

"This drawing," he pointed to the one with all the crossed out words, "was my thoughts on all of the excuses I've given you over the years. I've also come up with a counter-argument for most of them. My first excuse was that my enemies might use you against me. My counter argument was that you have enough enemies of your own to keep you in danger.

"Next were my missions, but they're no longer an issue. The next reason was my job and the hours I keep. You've never once complained about me leaving you or being busy, and you also keep pretty odd hours. The last reason was my lack of desire to have a 'Burg style relationship. I finally realised that if you really wanted that sort of relationship, you'd have married the cop ages ago.

"Then, when you came in with your niece and fell asleep on the sofa in my office, I looked at you and couldn't help but fantasise about you sleeping there holding our baby."

Ranger stopped talking and just sat there holding my hand. I have no idea when he picked it up and I was still trying to absorb the meaning of his words. I finally found my voice and asked, "What exactly are you saying Ranger, because to me, it sounds like you just said that you want me to have your baby."

Ranger laughed and said, "Well, I suppose I should start with the fact that not only do I love you Stephanie Michelle Plum, but I am completely in love with you. I love your smile, your compassion, your positive attitude and I love how you come to me whenever you need help.

"Now that that is clear, I need to apologise for every stupid thing I've said to you in the past. The problem is that when I said the thing about relationships, it was true. I regret sending you back to the cop, but part of me is glad that I did because I knew you'd never marry him and it kept you from moving on.

"I'm sorry that I have hurt you in the past, but I want a future with you. I want to date you and woo you and eventually make an honest woman of you. I want to see my child in your arms and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

As Ranger spoke, tears started to fall from my eyes. They made tracks down my face, but these were happy tears. Ranger reached out and wiped them away with his thumb, waiting for me to reply to his words. I took several deep cleansing breaths before I spoke.

"Ricardo Carlos Manoso, I am so in love with you. I always knew that you cared about me because if you didn't why would you have wasted your cars, money and time on me. I have loved you for so long, but I was afraid to admit it to myself for fear of rejection. I want to date you. I want you to woo me and I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of spending the rest of my life with you."


	12. Chapter 12

_Ranger's POV_

She loves me. She really loves me. I've never been happier in my life and I'm sure the grin on my face looks ridiculous. The smile on my Babe's face is gorgeous. I can't believe that she's mine, really mine. I reach out and touch her face, and leaned in for a kiss.

It was the most intimate and soul bearing kiss I've ever shared with another woman, and when we separated, both of us were breathless. I looked into her eyes and saw the same desire that was pumping through my veins. I smiled at her and said, "I don't want to screw this up Babe. Would you go on a date with me on Thursday evening?"

Babe nodded so I continued, "I'd really like to keep our first three dates in a public place. I fear that if I am alone with you in private that I will lose all self control. I want to do this right and take the time for us to get to know each other before jumping into bed. We have the advantage of knowing we are compatible in bed, so it will be hard, but I think we should put that on hold for a few dates."

Babe looked at me and said, "I will agree to the three date rule as long as these dates are not spread too far apart. I don't want one date a month because I'm not sure I could wait 3 months to show you how much I love you."

I laughed at this and said, "If our first date is Thursday, perhaps we can have a 2nd date on Saturday during the day. Our third date can be the following Friday. I already have something special in mind."

Babe smiled and said, "I can live with that." She then leaned into me and we sat on the sofa talking about lots of little things. Steph confided in me that she was terrified that my family and Julie would hate her. I reassured her that this wasn't very likely. Julie already liked her and my family has heard so much about Steph from Julie that they feel like they know her already. I didn't tell her how often my mother asks about her or insists that I bring Steph around. It would only make her even more nervous.

I wrapped my arms around her and said, "As much as I'd love to stay like this for the rest of my life, I'm afraid that I have a takedown in about an hour. I should get down to the conference room to meet with the guys. Please talk to Lula tomorrow about the jobs and then you can both come by and ask any questions you'd like. If you both agree, we can all go out as a group to celebrate tomorrow night. I love you Babe, and I can't wait to spend more time with you."

I stood, kissed my Babe. I turned and walked into the bedroom to change so I could meet the guys. I would walk Steph down in a few minutes.

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We're nearing the end. Only one more chapter in this story. I love the reviews. Thanks for the encouragement.

L.


	13. Chapter 13

Well, this is the end of this particular story. Since it's the first in a series, there will be more to come if you're interested. Let me know.

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_Steph's POV_

I watched as Ranger walked into his bedroom. He returned a few minutes later dressed in black. He leaned down, kissed me and then said, "I'll see you tomorrow Babe. Good luck with Lula and I look forward to our date on Thursday."

I kissed him back, hugged him around the waist and said, "Be careful Batman. I'd hate for you to get shot before our first date."

Ranger smiled down at me and said, "I will be careful Babe. Nothing is going to keep me from our life together." He kissed me once more and indicated that I should walk down with him. I reached down and grabbed the drawings and placed them safely in my handbag so that I could look at them later.

I followed Ranger out of the apartment and said goodbye to him when he got off on the 5th floor. I was looking forward to talking to Lula the following day and I wanted to think about everything Ranger said.

_The End_. _For now._

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The second installment of the RangeWoman series will be coming shortly. Or at least the first chapter or two. It will likely be called 'A Leap of Faith' and will continue on with the POV chapters but with two characters only. Any guesses who? :)

L. 


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